Guide To Drafting Your Own Resume

Before you start, you should list all your work and educational experiences since high schoolalthough not all of them will be included on your resume, including your achievements,volunte

SHEPARD BROAD LAW CENTER

Guide to Drafting Your Own

Resume

A Publication of The Office of Career and Professional Development

Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center

law-careerdevelopment@nsu.law.nova.edu

(954) 262-6124

I FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSWhat is a Resume?

A resume is a written, organized summary of your educational and professional qualifications It

is a marketing tool that must be prepared carefully and updated as often as necessary It is usually

an employer’s first impression of you The goal is to create a resume that operates as an effectivemarketing tool A legal resume is a specific instrument, and will likely look different than otherresumes you may have had in the past, or those being used in other fields

Do I really need a resume?

Yes Every law student needs a resume, even if you have personal connections that may get youemployment Every potential employer, and some attorneys with whom you are simplynetworking, will want to have this document

When should I prepare my resume?

As soon as possible During winter break of your first year is an ideal time to draft it The hardwork of creating a resume only comes once – updating it is easy once your resume is in theproper format

How do I start?

Before you start, you should list all your work and educational experiences since high school(although not all of them will be included on your resume), including your achievements,volunteer experiences, publications, special skills, activities, honors, awards, and hobbies todetermine what information will be included on your resume Depending on your careerobjectives and the types of opportunities you are pursuing (which you should also spend ampletime assessing), you can determine which items will be included on your resume

How can I get help with my resume?

Simply e-mail it to us at law-law-careerdevelopment@nsu.law.nova.edu or to one of the CareerProfessionals, individually It will be returned to you as soon as possible with comments andsuggestions Once your resume has been reviewed, we encourage you to make an appointment

to discuss further details of your resume and develop a strategy for targeting specific employers

Should I include everything I’ve ever done?

No A resume is neither your life history nor your bar application It is a summary of yourqualifications, presented as a marketing tool for your job search You should NEVER lie;however, you do not need to include every activity or part-time job you have ever held.Particular “filler” offenders include too many college activities, and part-time jobs that datebefore college However, you should be wary of dropping jobs from your resume that will break

up the reverse chronology – gaps in time on your resume will be noticed

Updated 10/2010

I’ve never held a legal job Do I still need a resume?

Yes! At the beginning of law school, no employer expects you to have a page full of relevantemployment However, you want to show potential legal employers that you have worked andknow how to be a good, loyal employee Of course, any skills that you can market as “lawyeringskills” you want to do so Being a lawyer is a customer service profession, so showing that youknow how to work professionally with clients of any type is a plus

II GENERAL FORMATTING RULES

• Keep your resume simple and attractive, employers spend on average no more than 60

seconds looking at each resume Make sure they can locate relevant information easily

• A one-page resume works for most law students or recent graduates Two pages may be

necessary only if law is a second career Most recruiting coordinators / hiring partnershave told us: “If you’re going to make me look at a second page, it better be worth mywhile.” In other words, there better be some pretty important substantive information onthat second page

• Stay conservative and use white, off-white, cream, or light gray colored bond paper, that

is 8 ½” x 11” in size

• Do not use any font smaller than 10 point, as it will be too difficult to read, and in

some font types, even 10 point is too small

• Do not use abbreviations, unless space is an issue In addition, do not list dates in numerical format If abbreviations are necessary, be consistent throughout the resume

• Use bolding, underlining, caps, and italics to draw attention to resume headings and

job titles, but do not overwhelm employers with too many different fonts or types of

emphasis Be consistent If you bold the first job title you list and italicize the date, be

sure all the job titles are bold and all the dates italicized

• Check for typographical, spelling, or grammatical errors Then, have someone else

proofread Do not rely on spell check

• Ideally, margins should be between 0.7” to 1” on all sides.

• References belong on their own sheet, with name, title, business mailing address, phone

number and e-mail, if available of each contact They are not part of a resume Submitreferences only when asked to do so

• It must be perfect! Often, the resume determines whether you get an interview or not

Items NOT to Include on Your Resume

The following information is simply not relevant or useful and should not be included on your resume:

• Job objective

• References

• LSAT scores

• Basic computer skills

• Prospective items that are not yet certain (such as a position that you have not yet accepted)

• Personal data such as age, health, marital status, religion, and social security number

• Personal pronouns

• High school education

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IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ALL WINDOWS VISTA / MICROSOFT OFFICE / WORD 2008 USERS:

The default format when you save a document in Word 2008 creates a docx file This format is not yet readable by all systems Most law firms do not yet have this version of Word Therefore,

when saving your resume/cover letter in Word 2008, click "Save As", and save the document as a

“Word 97-2003 document” (i.e *.doc, not *.docx)

III THE PERSONAL INFORMATION HEADER

At the very top of your resume, usually centered, is your personal contact information header Itshould contain the following information (though not numbered):

• Include your full name

• Use your current address where you are receiving mail

• Also include your permanent address if it is not local and you are trying to show a tie to another city

• Include phone numbers that are going to be answered, even if by machine You may wish

to include a cell number, if you are not going to get messages during business hours

• Ensure that your answering machine plays a professional message

• Put your personal information in bold and/or a slightly larger type size (no more than 16

point font size).

• Use a professional sounding e-mail address or your school e-mail address

• Remove the hyperlink which may automatically insert into your e-mail address Simply right click over your e-mail address and choose “remove hyperlink” from the menu

Don’t:

• Make your name enormous in proportion to the rest of the document or use a fancy or colored font

• Split your name and address up between the top and bottom of the page

• Use an unprofessional nickname or e-mail address (e.g cutiewitdabooty@mail.com)

• Highlight your e-mail in colored ink (correct this if your computer does so automatically)

• Use a current and permanent address if you are job searching in your local geographic area

• Use initials instead of your name to conceal your gender or ethnicity

• Include personal information such as your photo, birth date, marital status, or social security number

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Examples of Contact Information Headers

Format 1

PHILIP PHIRSTYEAR

11945 Hiatus Road Davie, Florida 33325 (954) 123-4567 phirstyearp@nsu.law.nova.edu

Format 2

PHILIP PHIRSTYEAR

phirstyearp@nsu.law.nova.edu

Current Permanent

Philip Phirstyear phirstyearp@nsu.law.nova.edu

11945 Hiatus Road, Davie, Florida 33325 (954) 123-4567

Format 5

P H I L I P A P H I R S T Y E A R

11945 Hiatus Road • Davie, Florida 33325 • (954) 123-4567 • phirstyearp@nsu.law.nova.edu

IV THE EDUCATION SECTION

As a student, your education is currently your full-time job, and it’s what you want to market As

such, it should be the first substantive section of your resume All information is presented in

reverse chronological order, so you should start with your law school education first Be

consistent throughout the education section

For each degree, provide the following information:

• Name and location of school attended

• Degree and (expected) date of graduation

• Grade point average (optional)

• Scholarship, honors, awards (optional)

• Publication/research topic (if applicable)

• Extracurricular activities (optional)

ADDITIONAL SUB-HEADINGS UNDER EDUCATION:

Special Programs:

Indicate “Enrolled in Health Law Concentration” or “Enrolled in International LawConcentration”, if appropriate Once you have graduated, and successfully completed allrequired course work for the program, you can then specify “Concentration in the [insert name ofprogram].” Though you are not required to include such information, certain employers may feelthat it adds credibility to your resume Note that your transcript will reflect enrollment in theprogram, as well, so if not on your resume, you should still be prepared to discuss it

GPA:

Grades are important to certain employers, and some will require a GPA be listed on yourresume Whether you should specify your GPA is a judgment call However, usually you should

list your law school GPA if it is 3.0 or higher Note that if you include your law school GPA,

you should also include your undergrad GPA (i.e if you list one, you need to list the other) Youalso may choose to specify those courses in which you received a high grade and/or thosecourses that may be of particular interest to a potential employer You can do so by including an

“Outstanding Grades” and/or a “Relevant Coursework” section

3.2 or higher You may also wish to specify awards you received, either under the “Honors”

category or a separate “Awards” category Participation in the Pro Bono Honor Program should

be listed under this category, as well

Activities:

Highlight activities and student organizations that demonstrate leadership, initiative, communityinvolvement, or use of special skills

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Law School, Basic Listing:

EDUCATION:

Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, Ft Lauderdale, FL

Juris Doctor Candidate, Month, Year

GPA: 3.2 Class Rank: 27/236

Honors: Journal of International Law, Associate Editor

Book Award, TortsActivities: Phi Alpha Delta (PAD), Member

Business Law Students, Vice President

Undergraduate School, Basic Listing (comes after law school):

Undergraduate School, City, ST

Bachelor Degree, Month, Year

GPA: 3.5

Honors: Dean’s List all semestersActivities: Varsity Soccer

Transferred School, Basic Listing:

If you include a school attended without completing your degree, be sure to list it in reversechronological order so that the reader may easily follow that you transferred to the next listing upthe page You may wish to include a previously attended school if there was a chronological gap

in time before finishing your degree Remember to include dates of attendance

School Attended, City, ST

Attended, year

Two Degrees from Same Educational Institution, Basic Listing:

N OVA S OUTHEASTERN U NIVERSITY, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Shepard Broad Law Center

Juris Doctor Candidate, May 2007 (Evening Program)

Honors: Pro Bono Honor Program

Dean’s List (Winter 2005; Fall 2006)Activities: Health Law Society (Pulse), Member

American Bar Association, Law Student Division

Wayne Huizenga Graduate School of Business & Entrepreneurship

Master of Business Administration, May 2003

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Examples of Legal Education on Resume

N OVA S OUTHEASTERN U NIVERSITY , S HEPARD B ROAD L AW C ENTER, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Juris Doctor Candidate, May 2007

GPA: 3.55

Outstanding Grades: Property A; Civil Procedure A; Torts

A-Honors: Dean’s List, Fall 2006

Nova Law Review, Technical Editor

Activities: Phi Alpha Delta, Member

Study Abroad: University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, Summer 2004

Studied International Contracts and Environmental Law

Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Juris Doctor Expected May 2007

GPA: 3.02

Honors: Pro Bono Honor Program, Bronze Level

Awards: Martin E Feinrider Summer Fellowship for International Human Rights

Activities: Environmental Law Society, Staff Member

Public Interest Law Society, Board Member

Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Candidate for Juris Doctor, May 2007

Enrolled in International Law Concentration

Activities: International Law Students Association (ILSA),

Treasurer Black Law Students Association (BLSA), Member

Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Juris Doctor Candidate, May 2007

GPA: 3.15

Awards: Received highest grade in Lawyering Skills and Values

Activities: International Law Students Association (ILSA), Member

Florida Association of Women Lawyers (FAWL), Member

N OVA S OUTHEASTERN U NIVERSITY , SHEPARD BROAD LAW CENTER, Fort Lauderdale, FloridaJuris Doctor Candidate, December 2007

• Dean’s List, Fall 2005

• Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity, Member

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V THE EMPLOYMENT SECTION

For most students, the main feature of your resume is the description of your employment Like

Education, you should list your jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with your current

job, or the most recent position you have held Paid positions, clinical work, internships, andpart-time work (though it is not necessary to specify this) may be included in this section Evenvolunteer work (depending on the duties), may be added in this section

Note that you do not have to list every job you have held, as your resume is a marketing tool and

not a job or bar application Be selective, and highlight significant, relevant experience here.

However, be aware that selectivity may produce “gaps” in your resume, which may need to beexplained to a prospective employer

Format:

There are two distinct but acceptable formats to describe a position that you have held The first

is the “paragraph” or “narrative” format, and the second is the “bullet” format You should

choose the format which best works with your type of employment and style of writing (see

examples below) Again, remember that internal consistency is critically important throughout

the document

Paragraph format example (at job where you are no longer employed):

Law Offices of Smith & Smith, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Law Clerk May 2006 – September 2006 Researched and wrote memoranda of law for small firm practicing family law and personal injury Summarized depositions and drafted motions Wrote trial briefs resulting in favorable verdict for client Contributed to appellate brief through legal research and drafting, resulting in reversal of decision Met with clients Observed court hearings.

Bullet format example ( at job where you are presently employed):

Law Offices of Smith & Smith, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Law Clerk May 2007 – Present

• Research and write memoranda of law for small family law and personal injury law firm.

• Summarize depositions and draft motions.

• Meet with clients

• Observe court hearings.

• Wrote trial briefs resulting in favorable verdict for client (It’s okay to put this type of item

in past tense, but put at the end, like this one, after present tense duties.)

Content:

Regardless of the format you use, your content should give an accurate accounting of where you

worked, your job title, the month and years in which you worked, and a positive, active, specific

description of your duties This is your chance to differentiate yourself from anyone else who

may have performed similar tasks Use dynamic descriptions and, to the extent possible and accurate, describe tasks in a way that a legal employer will find valuable

Typically, for a legal resume, the name of the employer/organization will go first, with your title

or role appearing next Then, list tasks performed, emphasizing those requiring the highest level

of skill, responsibility, and judgment Begin each phrase with an action verb (see list of action

verbs below), and write in concise sentence fragments Also, quantify and qualify your

accomplishments (i.e “Maintained average caseload of 150,” “researched statute of limitationsfor criminal law professor,” “trained and supervised 5 employees,” “surpassed sales quota by15%.”)

Descriptions of accomplishments and job responsibilities are always written in the past tense, unless you are presently employed at the position, in which case, you describe them in the present tense So, you researched Florida case law, and drafted memoranda of law when you

were a summer associate last year, but you research Florida case law and draft memoranda oflaw for your current position as a law clerk

Legal vs Non-Legal Employment Section:

If you have only one or two entries of legal employment, you may wish to highlight them by

creating a section of legal employment and a section of non-legal employment If this is the case,

you should list your legal experience first, even if it is not the most recent, followed by your legal experience (or, “Other Professional Experience”) Keep in mind, however, that once yourlegal employment starts to build, it may look awkward or confusing to continue to separate thetwo, unless your non-legal employment is from a past professional career

non-Examples of Job Descriptions on Resume Regarding Law Clerk and General Legal Experience

General Litigation Experience:

• Researched issues pertaining to (e.g., pending motion for summary judgment in antitrust case)

• Researched and wrote memoranda in numerous areas of law, including (e.g.,

bankruptcy, copyright, real property, civil rights)

• Researched and wrote memoranda on criminal procedure and evidentiary issues

• Drafted discovery requests, including interrogatories and requests for production of documents, abstracted depositions, and drafted settlement letters

• Drafted and edited documents, including complaints and motions

• Participated in multiple phases of litigation, including (e.g., discovery, pre-trial, settlement negotiations)

• Assisted with trial preparation

• Communicated with opposing counsel and clients

• Attended (e.g., trial, depositions, law and motion hearings, arraignment hearings, client meetings, federal pre-trial conferences, settlement conferences, and court

proceedings)

General Transactional Experience:

• Filed documents in court and performed title searches

• Drafted corporate resolutions and partnership agreements

• Drafted and revised lease agreements and purchase and sale agreements

• Drafted opinion letter to client

• Participated in negotiating sessions with opposing counsel

• Arranged and conducted meetings with clients and opposing counsel

• Prepared contracts

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• Created labor and employment law pamphlet.

General Public Interest Experience:

• Interviewed clients to determine eligibility for benefits

• Assisted attorneys in providing legal services to individuals seeking public benefits

• Worked with government agency to ensure efficient processing of benefit claims

• Assisted in organizing series of workshops on access to benefits

• Researched issues pertaining to (e.g., custody, fair housing, immigration status)

• Researched and drafted memoranda (and/or motions) focusing on issues of

• Engaged in all facets of litigation, including (e.g., discovery, pre-trial, settlement negotiations)

• Researched proposed changes to the welfare system and their impact on the County budget

• Assisted in the preparation of an article assessing laws and policies regarding women’s reproductive rights

General Judicial Internship Experience:

• Researched and drafted legal memoranda on issues of (e.g., procedure, contracts, employment law)

• Performed legal research and wrote memoranda relating to criminal matters involving evidentiary issues, legislative history of criminal statutes and case law

• Reviewed motions, researched relevant case law, prepared summaries of legal arguments and assisted in preparation of court rulings

• Researched and drafted bench memoranda, orders and opinions on various issues of criminal and civil law, including (e.g., motions to sever defendants, preliminary injunctions, securities law)

• Drafted order and decision on summary judgment motion in antitrust case

• Observed (attended) pre-trial conferences, settlement conferences, motion hearings, numerous trials

• Exposed to various stages of litigation, including (e.g., scheduling, law and motion practice, settlement and pre-trial conferences, jury selection, trial)

General Research Assistant Experience:

• Researched recent court decisions on negligence per se for Professor Arnold’s Torts

casebook

• Briefed and discussed cases with Professor Smith

• Researched and selected reading materials for a course on intellectual property

• Performed research for legal publications and prepared presentations

• Researched current issues in immigration law and drafted memorandum

• Performed legal research, analyzed cases, and drafted text for Professor Miller’s note in

the Nova Law Review.

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VI OTHER RESUME SECTIONSPublications:

If, as a result of your educational or work experience, you have published something, you shouldmention the publication in your resume Depending upon the nature and timing of the

publication, you may include it under Education or Experience, or under an entirely separate category (i.e “Publications”).

Community Involvement/Volunteer Work:

If you have been involved in any significant community activities, or volunteered at anorganization, you should include it in your resume Depending on the extent of your

involvement, you may want to include such activities under Experience and describe the duties you performed, or simply list it under a category such as “Community Involvement” or

“Professional Activities.”

Languages:

If you are conversant or fluent in a foreign language, you should include that language (with the appropriate indication of proficiency) If the language in which you are conversant or fluent is

of particular interest to a prospective employer, you may choose to include it under a separate

category (i.e., “Languages”) Otherwise, you simply may include the language under the general category of either “Skills”, “Skills/Languages”, or “Skills and Interests.” You need not be

fluent in a language to include the skill – just be sure to qualify it appropriately (e.g., proficient,

advanced knowledge of, etc.) Also, to the extent that you are proficient in the written form of

any foreign language, you should indicate that, as well (e.g “Fully bilingual in spoken andwritten Spanish” or “Proficient in spoken and written French” or “Conversant in German”), or it

will be assumed that your description pertains to the spoken form of the language only.

Important – Do not overstate your level of proficiency! If you are only “conversant”,

do not hold yourself out as “bilingual” Employers will test you on this!

Skills and Interests:

This section is used as a catch-all category for information that may help market you to the

prospective employer Be selective Some employers report that they like to know the

hobbies or personal activities of their applicants, as it gives additional material forconversation, and demonstrates other dimensions of the applicant; however, othershave said that a hobby should not be listed unless it is so unusual as to be a terrificicebreaker Therefore, it is a personal choice whether or not to include this category Ifyou decide to include hobbies, do not list more than two or three, at the most This isalso where you may include online legal research skills However, if you are short onspace, or beyond the first year of law school, it is not necessary to include these types

of skills, as it is assumed that you are able to use LexisNexis, Westlaw, MicrosoftOffice, etc

While references should not be identified on your resume, you always should be prepared to

provide them once requested Ideally, references should include at least one law school faculty

member and one prior employer or supervisor We do not recommend using personal references(i.e., family members and friends) The reference provided should include name, title, address,phone number and e-mail, if available Verify that all information is current There is no need tostate “References available upon request” on your resume, as most potential employers will

believe this to be the case Remember not to include a person as a reference unless, and until,

s/he has agreed to act as a positive reference Then, send them a copy of your current resume

so that he/she can refer to it if contacted by prospective employers

Memberships:

Once you have been admitted to a state bar or federal court, you will want to list these legalmemberships on your resume New attorneys may choose to make this the first section after theirpersonal header, to highlight this new achievement The name of the state and the date ofadmission should be included In this section, you may also include voluntary bars joined,

although these should be listed after mandatory licensing bodies; alternatively, voluntary bar

memberships can be listed under a Professional Organizations or Professional Associations

section

Example:

Memberships: Member, Florida Bar (2009)

Admitted to the Florida Bar, 2007The Florida Bar, 2007

United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, 2007American Bar Association, 2007

You may also choose to list your status while you are waiting to take the bar, waiting for your bar exam results, or waiting for your admission to the Bar:

Registered for July 2009 Florida Bar ExamAwaiting results of February 2009 Florida Bar ExamPassed July 2009 Florida Bar Exam; Swearing in September 12, 2009Passed July 2009 Florida Bar Exam; Florida Bar Admission pending

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Do’s and Don’ts for Other Resume Sections

Do:

• Show commitment to a community by listing your community service

• Include legal publications

• Use proper punctuation, including periods, at the end of each description

Don’t:

• List an Objective

• List your typing speed

• List a language that you are not prepared to use, or overstate your level of proficiency in